I can't believe the quality of sound I am getting from these speakers!!! They create an amazing sound field, with sounds surrounding you. They are great for both movies and music. I listen and watch all sorts of music and movies and the sound is only limited by the source you are playing. What is even better is the price that I got these for. They sound twice as much as I paid for them. You won't be sorry for picking up a set of these great speakers!!!!!

I posted a review of this speaker when I first purchased them and tried to give an honest opinion as to the performance (3 Starrs).They are now "broke in" and I can honestly say (in my opinion) that these are some of the most solid and smooth sounding speakers in their price range. I don't know why some have given this speaker a 1 starr rating, it definitely deserves better than that.
Highs are smooth (not blarring), mids are strong, base is solid. If you're listening to music that that has alot of deep base (thumping, as in rap music) these are not the speakers you want unless you add a sub woofer to it.
If you listen to Classical, Rock, Jazz, give 'em a whirl, you might be surprised - I was.
Five Starrs

Outstanding! The Energy exl26 is simply the bomb. These speakers are certainly the best buy for the buck. I bought a set at A&B Sound, and to my joyous surprise, I found out rather quickly the quality of the speakers I just bought. And to another quirky surprise, I observed that it picks up low frequency that even my sub-woofer is not capable. So, faithful readers, next time you go shopping for a set of speakers, low-budget or not, why not invest on a great deal as I have on the Energy exl26.

This is an update from my previous post- see below. I purchased the speakers and will provide my updated opinion. When I listened to them a second time, in my opinion, they sounded much, much better than the first time I had heard them. I also found that when I took a new pair home they required some listening to before they sounded really awesome.The tweeters did not sound good on the highs at first. But after the weekend it sounded awesome. So I think some of the negative posts maybe due to the fact that the speaker were not "broken in". My receiver is a Yamaha RXV-795 and it sounds awesome with the speakers. Real clear music, awesome for classical music. The bass is very impressive, while the music doesn't sound bassy, it can really boom out the bass when required and the bass is very tight. The system sounds better every time I listen to it! I'll update my rating to 5 stars because of the great sound and excellent value.

I just purchased the Energy e:XL26 front, e:XL16 rear, e:XL-C center and e:XLS10 sub from Marc at Audio Shop (web site: audioshop.on.ca). I auditioned Paradigm (Phantom), Definitive Tech (BP8), Infinity and Energy Take 5 before zeroing on this combination. I auditioned Eric Clapton's "Pilgrim" CD on all these systems and although the Definitive sound was marginally cleaner, it was not worth the extra $500 for the complete system. The Energy Take 5 system was pathetic with music, in my opinion. The eXL26 based system sounds fantastic on music and is also great with HT effects on my Yamaha RXV795 receiver. Low volume sound is also great and so are the sleek looks. I absolutely LOVE this system. They did sound a bit bright initially but after a few days of break in have mellowed down to a very balanced level. Marc at the Audio shop was very helpful, polite and professional and gave excellent rates which even with shipping worked out far better than buying locally. The speakers arrived in perfect condition by Fedex 2 day. (Fedex messed up by splitting up the shipment, but Marc was prompt in following up with them and the rest of the packages came the next day). Also the folks at Energy Speakers were very helpful in responding to my e-mails and queries about the speakers and technology.
I give it 5 stars of course.

With such a good responce with the con-series, C-8's, AC300, anyone who wishes to contact me about canadian pricing for shipping to the usa, I can give you contact phone #. All the exl line is at speacial pricing, I will beable to quote prices and connect you to a canadian dealer, these are only new speakers.

I'd read some positive reviews of this speaker on the net, so I checked themout when I saw them in an audio store. They were hooked up to some good quality equipment and in a decent listening room, so they had all of the advantages. But as soon as I put my CDs in and hit Play, I was astounded. These speakers sound terrible. I've listened to over 60 different pairs of speakers in the last year and these are the worst I've heard of any that cost over $250/pair. After listening for a minute, I thought something must be wrong with the CD or the amp, because tunes with which I was very familiar and have listened to on speakers costing from $150 to $18,000, sounded very different through these speakers. The soundstage and bass were both messed up. The midrange had a very strange quality to the sound, even changing the singer's voice to the point of them not being recognizable at first.

So we switched a different set of speakers to the same equipment and the sound was fine. Next we switched the XL:26 to different equipment and the same mangled sound emerged.

Highly NOT recommended. Even 1 star is an overrating.

Heard these in the same room as a pair of Paradigm Reference/20 speakers. The music sounded much better from the Paradigms!! I don't understand why some of the others here have given this speaker 5 stars - unless they have been comparing it to Bose speakers.

These things are a waste of money -I compared the exl:26 to a pair of Energy pro 4.5's and the difference was incredible: The exl's has nothing in the midrange, too much boomy bass, and little definition in the treble. The 4.5's were FAR more balanced, better built, more detailed and actually sounded like the music. Do yourself a favour and take the time to track down a pair of 4.5 (as they are no longer being made,) and if you want wall shaking bass, for $300 bucks pick up an Energy es-8 sub. This is what I did, and I can honestly say that I am MORE than impressed.

Bass, Clarity, Power Handling

Looks

These are great speakers for the buck. They pack some big time bass, and major clarity, and are very dymnamic. They are awesome on classical music, and live recordings. ut one major thing with these speakers is break in. When I first got them they didn't sound that hot at all and I was almost ready to return them. ut after about 10 hours they started to open up, and I would say the full break in is at least 40 hours. I use an onkyo 676 and an old marantz, both of which have some serious guts, and I woudl recommend as with any speakers, as much high current power as possible. Give em a shot, and let them break in before you decide, it make a HUGE difference, most dymnamic and lively speaker out there in this price range.

Similar Products Used:

Bose 701, Paradigm Monitor 7, Kef